Bodhisattva in Tuṣita Heaven

Part of a relief showing the Bodhisattva in Tuṣita Heaven. Tuṣita is the abode of the deities and bodhisattvas. The buddha-to-be Maitreya resides here, as other bodhisattvas do before they are reborn in the human realm as buddhas. Śākyamuni also resided in Tuṣita before his last existence. On the left, the Bodhisattva is sitting in padmāsana on a throne with lion legs and a footstool. He is holding an ovoid kamaṇḍalu between the fingers of the left hand, while the right – not preserved – was probably in abhayamudrā. His eyes are half close, his mouth is full. The hair is stylised in waves tied in a central knot by a string. He has a plain nimbus, above which are the remains of a canopy. He wears a paridhāna and an uttarīya exposing the torso, pendent earrings, a long multiple-strand necklace with a central stone, and double wristlets. On the right, in the foreground, are two bodhisattvas. The first is standing with joined hands. He has a plain nimbus and wears a paridhāna and an uttarīya exposing the torso, a turban, and ring-shaped earrings. The second is sitting – the seat is not carved – with the feet resting on legless footstool. He is holding a lotus flower in his right hand, while the left is on the knee. His nimbus is plain. He is dressed in a paridhāna and an uttarīya exposing the torso, and exhibits a turban with a globular diadem (?), ring-shaped earrings, and wristlets. In the background, a male figure (a bodhisattva?) is carved in a bust with joined hands. On the top of the figured field, three male figures peer over the parapet, from which a small drape hangs. The three figures are carved in busts. They all wear an uttarīya and ring-shaped earrings.